LightSquared 'Out of Touch' in GPS Arguments, GPSIA Says

LightSquared's downplaying of the GPS market's future "is simply out of touch with basic technology trends," the GPS Innovation Alliance (GPSIA) said in a statement in response to the LightSquared filing posted Thursday in docket 12-340 that said the personal navigation device industry overall is in decline (see 1507310020). "GPS is becoming even more ubiquitous with continual innovation and growth for applications like precise automotive guidance safety applications and unmanned aerial systems that will further revolutionize transportation, agriculture, and construction, to name a few," GPSIA said in an email. The European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency's GNSS Market Report earlier this year also forecast roughly a doubling in the number of GNSS devices worldwide between 2014 and 2019, GPSIA said. The LightSquared filing also shows "a fundamental misunderstanding of location-based technologies," as inertial and real-time kinematic technologies don't substitute for GPS, but complement it by increasing position accuracy and maintenance during adverse conditions, GPSIA said.